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that his action was taken in concert with Chang Tso-lin and a number of other military and civil leaders and was dictated by a desire to end the war, Chang Tso-lin speedily pushed on to Tientsin and easily became master of the situation in that vicinity. The Cabinet at Peking immediately resigned en bloc and Feng appointed another to take its place. Within a few days of this change he evicted the Manchu ex-Emperor from the Summer Palace, took possession, of the whole of the Forbidden City, and repudiated the Abdication agreement. This action, however, was strongly condemned by Tuan Chi-jui, who had been designated as the provisional Chief Execu- tive at the invitation of Chang Tso-lin with the approval of the majority of the governing classes of China, including Wu Pei-fu and Sun Yat-sen, pending the establish- ment of a new form of constitutional government. The restrictions placed upon the ex-Emperor's movements being withdrawn, he sought and obtained sanctuary in the Japanese Legation.
China unsuccessfully appealed to the Paris Conference in 1919 to restore to her Kiaochow and Germany's other rights in Shantung, claimed by Japan under the Sino-Japanese Treaty of 1915. By way of protest, the Chinese delegates refused to sign the Peace Treaty with Germany, and a boycott of Japanese goods was organised by the students in China. The appeal was renewed in 1921 at the Washington Conference, the outcome of which was the Shantung Treaty whereby the former German leased Territory of Kiaochow was restored to China. Other points in the treaty, which is of a comprehensive description, are: Japan undertook to transfer to China all public properties, including land, buildings, works or establishments, in Kiaochow, whether formerly possessed by the German authorities or purchased or constructed by Japan, with certain exceptions; Japan undertook to withdraw her troops on the Tsingtao-Tsinan Railway; Japan undertook to transfer to China the Tsingtao-Tsinan Railway and its branches, "together with all other properties appurtenant thereto," on receiving payment from China; Japan undertook to transfer the mines at Tsechwan, Fangtze, and Chinlingchen to a company in which the capital would be shared in equal proportions by Japanese and Chinese. The Shantung Commission, to give effect to these provisions, was convened at the conclusion of the Washington Conference. It met at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Peking, Dr. C. T. Wang being the chairman of the Chinese Commissioners, and Mr. Yukio Obata, the Minister of Japan to China, being the chairman of the Japanese Commissioners. settlement was reached early in December, the terms of which will be found in the Treaty section of this volume.
A
Other results of the Washington Conference which have a special bearing on China were the Nine-Power Treaty, the Chinese Tariff Treaty, and the resolution regarding the withdrawal of foreign Postal agencies in China.
The Nine-Power Treaty, signed by the United States, Belgium, the British Empire, China, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and Portugal, was intended to give effect to "a policy designed to stabilise conditions in the Far East, to safeguard the rights and interests of China, and to promote intercourse between China and the other Powers upon the basis of equality of opportunity." Briefly, the covenant seeks to end for all time the pursuit by interested Powers of spheres of influence" and reaffirms the Hay principle of the Open Door and equal opportunity for the trade and commerce of the world in China. China, on her part, agreed not to alienate any part of her Territory to any foreign Power, A clause to which the Chinese attach much significance is that which provides for the registration and consequent publicity of all treaties and agreements between China and the other Powers and all contracts and agreements between China and private individuals and corporations of foreign countries.
The Tariff Treaty was the result of a resolution passed by the Powers participating in the Washington Conference authorising the revision of China's import tariff, "so that the rates shall be equivalent to 5 per cent. effective, as provided for in the several commercial Treaties to which China is a party." Certain concessions were also made by the Powers with the object of helping China to meet the conditions contained in international agreements, notably the Mackay Treaty between Great Britain and China, concluded in 1902, providing for the abolition of interior imposts known under the generic name of likin. These concessions were a 24 per cent. surtax and an extra 2 per cent. on such luxuries "as can bear a greater increase without unduly imped- ing trade."
In December, 1928, a new tariff was published to come into force in the February following.